Original Item: Only One Available. This pretty much is the Cadillac of late 19th century big game hunting rifles! Many consider the Winchester 1886 to be the finest lever action repeating rifle ever made! This fantastic example is in .40-82 Winchester caliber (marked 40 - 82 W.C.F. over the chamber) with a special order long 26" octagonal barrel and full length magazine tube. It has a replacement "bead" front sight with a copper blaze on the back, and a fantastic aftermarket iconic "Full Buckhorn" rear adjustable sight by D.W.KING. The serial number on the lower receiver tang is 19487 denoting the year of manufacture as 1888.

Even better, this is a DELUXE MODEL, fitted with high grade fancy checkered "Burl Walnut" stocks and featuring factory engraving on the nose cap, hammer, and operating lever. The butt stock has a carved in "pistol grip", with the correct curved lower receiver tang and operating lever. The stocks are truly beautiful, with a high level of chatoyancy, and fantastic grain. The wood "flip flops" in the light, and in many areas has a fantastic "tiger eye texture". At some point the stocks were further customized, with the fore stock having some red wood inlays added, one on either side of the fore stock, and two on the underside. There is are also two on the sides of the butt stock by the receiver, possibly hiding a crossbolt, and the bottom of the pistol grip has a thick red bottom pad attached to it. Additionally, the butt stock was "extended" at some point, with dark wood added to the end, making it about an inch longer. The original checkered butt plate was installed on the back of the added portion. Definitely a fantastic example with a great look!

The top of the barrel has the early style Winchester barrel address which reads:

This 1886 has John Browning's PAT. OCT. 14. 1884 and JAN. 20. 1885 patent dates stamped on the lower receiver tang. The upper tang simply marked - MODEL 1886. -, the standard marking for this model. The stocks are in fantastic condition, and the metalwork has a great aged mottled patina, with no signs of major oxidation or damage, produced by years of careful cleaning. There is still strong original bluing on the breech block and on the locking bolts, which are made from a harder alloy.

This example is offered with a crisp tight action in fully functional condition, cycling easily with a crisp dry fire. We did not notice any sticking or deficiencies with working the action, though it does look to have seen a good amount of use. We checked the bore, and it shows clear lands and grooves, with a partially bright finish. There is definitely overall wear from use, as well as some evidence of past fouling and oxidation, now cleaned away. We would probably rate this about a 6-7 out of ten.

These are becoming increasingly hard to find on the market in nice condition, and this Deluxe example really takes the cake! Just what you needed when going "On Safari" with "T.R." Ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1888
Caliber: .40-82 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 26 Inches
Overall Length: 45 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: tube magazine

More on the Winchester Model 1886

The lever action repeating rifle we know as the Winchester Model 1886 was conceived in the mind of a young John Browning in Ogden, Utah around 1883. At the time, Browning and his younger brothers, all in their teens and twenties, were building an amazing single shot rifle in a small brick factory/sporting goods store they had built with their own hands in downtown Ogden. Between 1879 and 1883, the Browning Brothers made about 600 single shot single shot rifles. Since they had no distribution set up, the rifles were simply sold locally off the racks placed in the front of their store. Legend has it that in 1883, a Winchester salesman named Andrew McAusland came across one of the Browning Brothers rifles in his travels. He purchased the rifle for $15 and shipped it back to Winchester thinking it might interest his company back East. He attached a letter stating such with along with the hopes they would reimburse him the fifteen bucks. All that was stamped on the gun was a serial number and the name Browning Bros., Ogden, UT. The rifle impressed management at Winchester so much that Vice President T.G. Bennett (Oliver Winchester's son-in-law) boarded a train for Ogden in hopes of buying the design from ????... well, quite literally... whoever these Browning guys were.

What I wouldn't give to go back in time and see that Yale-educated Vice President of Winchester Repeating Arms Company dressed in a suit wandering the frontier-era streets of Ogden, Utah in search of the Browning Brothers shop. Can you imagine his surprise when he realized, that the rifle (in 1883, his company had no equivalent to this rifle in their product line, nor a single model that could handle calibers 45-70 and up), had been in production for four years by young Mormon brothers in their teens and twenties on the American frontier? These guys were living quite literally on the very last stop for the railroad on the frontier just about as far as you could get from the Industrial Revolution back East... yet at that moment, they were arguably building the best single shot rifle in the world. At any rate, to get to the point, Bennett purchased the rights to manufacture the Browning Bros. rifle and made them Winchester dealers, "jobbers", in the process. The rifle would be manufactured by Winchester as the Model 1885 Single Shot.

Before departing, John Browning told Bennett about another design he was working on: a new lever action repeater that could handle the 45-70. Bennett was quite interested and encouraged Browning to let Winchester have the first crack at it when a prototype was completed. The following year in 1884, it was John and his younger brother, Matt Browning, who boarded the train, this time for New Haven, CT with their new rifle in tow. This new lever action was granted US Patent No. 306,577 on October 14, 1884. John Browning was just 29 years old. BTW, this was his fifth patent! The 1886 was the first lever action repeater that could handle the Gov't 45-70 as well as the 45-90 and 40-82. These were the first three calibers offered in their new lever action but many more calibers would come over the next several years. The 50-110 was offered for the first time in the Model 1886 in 1887.

NOTE: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.